The Whole Hog: a Word on Pork and Bacon

I get questions every now and then about the role of bacon and pork in the nutrition plan. Let’s take a look at pork, bacon, and related delicacies.

Not a DNA Client.

The pigs that end up in the meat case at the grocery store today are raised much differently than the pigs of old. A Google search for “commercial hog raising” turned up…a lot of articles about sustainable pig farming. The megafarms don’t want us to know how our bacon got to us, as it’s not pretty. Wikipedia shed a bit of light on the topic, but in short, the pigs are kept in crates or very small spaces, fed plenty of grain to fatten them up fast (not necessarily their natural diet, and much of it is genetically modified corn, which has its own issues), shot with antibiotics to prevent disease in the closely-packed barns, and then butchered unpleasantly en masse. (Sidenote: commercial dairy cattle are also kept corralled and fed junk food as corn gets more expensive, including stale candy and cookies, which is one of the reasons we do not recommend milk as a beverage and we suggest sticking to organic  if you consume dairy products.) Commercial pig farms also produce a significant toxic waste burden.

Pigs don’t have sweat glands, and thus don’t release toxins easily, which are then stored in their ample fat. They are natural scavengers, and as susceptible to diseases like trichinellosis (flu-like symptoms) and worms. Numerous medical websites recommend avoiding pork because of the health risks, as do entire religions. PETA will tell you that piggies are smart animals, one reason why most Americans don’t eat dog meat.

The demand is rising for pastured pigs, but they require more management and are slower to raise.  Therefore, “clean” pig products are often twice as expensive (or more) than commercially produced ones. Increased awareness of pig farming methods and market forces such as Whole Foods have helped the small pig farmers grow, so better-quality pork is becoming widely available again (as it was before the dawn of CAFOs – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations – around 40 years ago), but at a price.

Wilbur. Babe. Tasty?

Well, that was too much information…so should I eat it or not??

You are what you eat. Do you want to eat a fatty pig that ate a lot of junk that you wouldn’t eat? Or do you just not care – ignorance is bliss, and bacon is AWESOME?

I’m not sure that I would call this awesome. Creepy, creative, but not awesome.

Based on the facts, we can’t recommend commercially farmed pork products. However, life is too short not to eat bacon, and most people can’t afford $13/lb regularly for organic bacon. Therefore, if you want to eat pork, your best bet is to enjoy it on a limited basis, and get the good stuff whenever possible. Smoke a rack of ribs or a pork butt, roast a tenderloin, or braise a pork chop – whatever you love – but don’t do it every day, and make it a feast, not just a meal. Savor that bacon in the morning, and enjoy it on a salad, but ask them to go easy on it when eating out. In restaurants, you can assume that the pork is mass-produced unless the menu says otherwise, so choose accordingly. If it’s your birthday and you really want ribs at Brushfire, be all means, go for it!

Also, you have choices. Some chicken and turkey sausages have gotten pretty tasty – check the labels for lab-made ingredients, but brands like Applewood and Trader Joe’s carry some relatively clean non-pork sausages. I still can’t get into turkey bacon, but I’ll eat other meats at breakfast – steak and eggs, anyone? You can also just skip it altogether, and try other animals, like lamb and bison, that are always pasture-raised.

You don’t have to eat pork. You can snuggle with it instead.

Of course, mass-produced chicken and beef have issues too, but we’re talking about pigs here. If in doubt, look for hormone-free meat and get organic if you have the coin. It may reduce your risk of serious disease, and your body will thank you.

The sheep-pig. 50% fat! Yes, it’s real!